Submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
$5 billion Google lawsuit over ‘incognito mode’ tracking moves a step closer to trial | Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers denied Google’s push for a summary judgment in a lawsuit over the way it tracked…::Google’s push for a summary judgment in a lawsuit over tracking internet activity even after users activated Chrome’s “Incognito mode” was denied.
Yeah everyone needs to stop using Chrome.
firefox is pretty good
Firefox is the only real alternative
This is the best summary I could come up with:
On Monday, a California judge denied Google’s request for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by users alleging the company illegally invaded the privacy of millions of people.
The people suing Google say that occurred because Google’s cookies, analytics, and tools in apps continued to track internet browsing activity even after users activated Incognito mode Chrome, or other similar features like Safari’s private browsing expecting a certain level of privacy.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers pointed to statements in the Chrome privacy notice, Privacy Policy, Incognito Splash Screen, and Search & Browse Privately Help page about how incognito mode limits the information stored or how people can control the information they share, writing, “Taken as a whole, a triable issue exists as to whether these writings created an enforceable promise that Google would not collect users’ data while they browsed privately.”
Finally, given the nature of Google’s data collection, the Court is satisfied that money damages alone are not an adequate remedy.
Injunctive relief is necessary to address Google’s ongoing collection of users’ private browsing data.”
The lawsuit was filed in 2020, seeking “at least” $5 billion in damages, and as reported by Mike Swift for MLex, the ruling was not entirely surprising, as the judge had indicated she’d do so, but it is a big one as it moves the case closer toward settlement or a trial.
I’m a bot and I’m open source!
ITT: people are giving morons who don’t understand what incognito mode is the credit for suing Google over their own stupidity and suggesting alternative browsers that don’t do anything different from Google because that mode is just supposed to DMZ session data, not mask your identity. Glad we’re celebrating ignorance instead of lampooning morons for wasting money on the lawyers and courts that have to handle this garbage.
Remember “Don’t be evil?” Pepperidge farm remembers
Now if we could just have personal data collecting/harvesting banned! (I know, in a perfect world)
Just lie online. Like, all the time. Doesn’t stop it but it fucks with it.
Gotta go back to the 1980s for that.
MagneticFusion@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Stop Using Chrome
Literally do not understand why the fuck anyone still uses that browser. If you want Chromium, use Vivaldi, use Brave, SHIT USE EDGE. STILL BETTER THAN CHROME.
Chrome is easily the most invasive browser, one of the worst when it comes to resource management, and one of the most locked down browsers.
Ideally you should just use Firefox.
whats_a_refoogee@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Posing Brave as an alternative to Chrome is ridiculous. It’s a crypto scam company that intends to profit from advertising. And they have been caught inserting referrals into url suggestions.
Don’t know why you think Edge is better either. Microsoft is no more your friend than Google and they have every intention to collect as much data as possible.
If you want chromium, use a build of un-googled chromium. You don’t need to replace one evil with another if you can just rip it out altogether.
lolcatnip@reddthat.com 1 year ago
You know Firefox has literally the exact same feature Google is being sued over, right? A lawsuit doesn’t automatically have merit just because you don’t like the party being sued.
porksoda@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Are you talking about private viewing mode? Firefox has it, but it may not be implemented the same and it may not have the same level of tracking.
Sounds like you may know though. What’s the issue with Firefox’s implementation?
DrPop@lemmy.one 1 year ago
The problem isn’t the feature, it’s the fact they still do things they said they are not doing while in incognito. I don’t think I should get ads from stuff I look up while incognito.